Mail-pouch catcher



Jan. 5 1926. 1,568,177

6. w. NEISWENDER ET AL MAiL POUCH CATCHER Filed August 5, 1923 2Sheets-Sheet 1 g/ENTORS v 1 m Z wmss; 9 J77 aim WATTORNEY.

' Jan. 5 1-92 1,568,177

C. W. NEISWENDER ET AL MAIL POUCH CATCHER Filed August 5, 1923 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOIS w %@ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 5, 1.926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C, NEISWENDER AND RAYMON B. FURGASON, OF BUCYRUS, KANSAS.

MAIL-POUCH GATCHER.

Application filed August 3, 1923.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, CHARLES W lfhnswnnnnn and RAYMON B. FURGASON,citizens of the United States, residing at Bucyrus, in the county ofMiami and State of Kansas, have invented a certain new and useful Tm:provement in Mail-Pouch Catchers, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to improvements 1n mail pouch catchers.

One of the objects of our invention 18 to provide a mail pouch catcherof the type carried by a car and arranged to catch a mail'pouch as thecar passes the latter, which is simple, cheap to make, strong, durable,not liable to get out of order, and WhlGh Wlll reliably catch and hold amail pouch, and which is elficient in operation.

The novel features of our invention are hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred embodimentof our invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a mail pouch and its support and aportion of a car whichris provided with our improved mail catcher.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of our 1mproved pouch catcher, shown in planin the pouch catching position, and showmg in horizontal section aportion of the car body and pouch.

Fig. 3 is a top View, still further enlarged, showing a portion of ourpouch catcher, partly in plan and partly in horizontal section and inthe closed position.

Fig. 4c is a sectional view on the line t4-. of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 3, reduced, the pouch engaging membersbeing shown in the open position.

Fig. 6 is a cross section on the line 66 of Fig. 3.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts in the differentviews,

1 designates an ordinary mail car body having the usual side doorway 2.

3 designates an ordinary mail pouch supported in the usual mannerbetween two horizontal bars 4, disposed one above the other and mountedin a supporting post 5, disposed adjacent to the track upon which themail cars run.

The pouch catcher is provided with suitable supporting means adapted tobe attached to a car body and which consists Serial No. 655,506.

of a support, which may comprise a horizontal bar 6, which extendsacross the doorway 2 and is mounted in two bearings 7 attached to thecar body at opposite sides respectively, of the doorway 2, and asupporting device which may comprise a member 8 pivoted on the bar 6,and having at one side an operating handle 9, and having attached to itsopposite side a bar 10, whichis embraced by a clamping plate 11, whichin turn is rigidly secured to the under side of a plate 12, Figs. 4L and6.

Pivoted on the plate 12 are two mail pouch engaging members 13, which,when the bar is in the pouch engaging position, shown in the drawings,are disposed horizontally. For pivoting the members 13 to the plate 12,there are provided two bolts 14 which extend through the members 13 andthrough the plate 12 and also through a transverse plate 15 disposed ontop of the members 13.

For normally forcing the members 13 to the closed position, shown inFig. 3, there is extended through said members 13 an arcuate bar 16 on.which is mounted a coil spring 17, the ends of which bear against theinner sides respectively of the members 13. The forward portions of themembers 13 may each be covered at its forward portion with a rubber tube18, to protect the pouch from injury, when the pouch passes between themembers 13.

'Means are provided for holding the members 13 in the open position,shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5. Such means may comprise a longitudinaldetent, consisting of a horizontal bar 18, which is slidablelongitudinally in a housing 19 mounted on the plate 12, between themembers 13, the bar 18 extending forward of the plate 15 and in positionfor being struck by the middle portion of the pouch 3, when the latterpasses between the members 13.. A coil spring 20 encircles the bar 18and bears at its forward end against a head provided at the forward endof the bar 18, the rear end of the spring bearing against the plate 12and housing 19. The tension of the spring 20 normally forces the bar 18forwardly to the set position shown in Figs. 2 and 5. The bar 18 is Tshaped and at its rear end is provided with two oppositely extendingarms 21, each having a forwardly extending projection 22 at its outerend adapted to enter a hole 23 provided in the adjacentmember 13, thusholding the members 13 from closing against the pressure of thecompression spring 17.

In the operation of our invention the handle 9 is swung to the positionshown in Figs. 1 and 2, thus disposing the members 13 horizontally inthe pouch catching position. The members 13 are swung to the openposition in which position the projections 22 hold them, the sprin 20holding the member 18 in the set position, with the projections 2 in theholes 23. iVhen the pouch 3 has its middle portion enter the spacebetween the members 13, said middle portion, due to the movement of thecar, strikes the head of the bar 18, forcing the latter rearwardly untilthe projections 22 pass rearwardly out of the holes 23, at. which timethe coil spring- 1T forces the members 13 to the closed position, thuscausing them to grip and support the pouch. If desired, one of themembers 13 may have a slight inward bend 24:, Fig. 3, to hold the pouchfrom slipping forwardly, butthis is not essential, as the motion of thecar tends to hold the pouch between the members 13. The handle 9 maythen be swung upwardly, thus swinging the mei'nbers 13 so that the pouchmay be easily removed from therebetween.

To again open the members 13, they are swung apart at their forwardends, thus compressing the spring 17 until the projec tions 22 enter theholes 23, at which time the members 13 will be held from swinging to theclosed position until the bar 18 is again forced rearwardly to releasethe members 13.

lVe do not limit our invention to the structure shown and described, asmany modifications, within the scope of the appended claims, may be madewithout departing from the spirit of our invention.

What we claim is 1. In a mail pouch catcher, supporting means adapted tobe attached to a car body, two pouch engaging members pivoted there onso as to swing to and from a closed position and arranged to be carriedby said supporting means to and from a pouch catching position, meansnormally forcing said members toward the closed position, a detentmovable on said supporting means to and from a position in which it willbe engaged and moved from a set position by a mail pouch passing betweensaid members .aid detent in the set position engaging said members andhaving means for holding them in the open position, and means fornormally forcing said detent to the set position.

in a mail pouch catcher, supporting means adapted to be attached to acar body, two pouch engaging members pivoted thereon to swing to andfrom a closed position, a spring which engages and normally forces thesaid members to the closed position, a detent longitudinally slidable onsaid supporting means between said members and having its forward endadapted to be struck by a pouch passing between said members, the detenthaving two oppositely extending arms adapted to respectively engage andhold said n'ien'ibers in the open position, the detent being movable bysaid pouch to a position in which the said members will be released fromsaid arms, and a spring for normally forcing the detent forwardly to aset position in which the said arms will be adapted to respectivelyengage said members.

3. In a mail pouch catcher, supporting means adapted to be attached to acar body, two pouch engaging members pivot/ed thereon to swing to andfrom a closed position, a coil spring having its ends respectivelyengaging said members and arranged to force the latter normally to theclosed position, a curved bar which said spring encircles, a detentlongitudinally slidable on said supporting means to and from a setposition between said members, said detent having at its forward end ahead adapted to be struck by a pouch entering between said members, thedetent being slidable rearr-vardly by said pouch from the set position,the rear end of said detent having two oppositely extending lateral armsadapted to respectively, engage said members for boldtheni releasably inthe open position against the pressure of said spring, and a coil springencircling said detent and hearing at its forward end against said headand at its rear end bearing against said supporting means and arrangedto normally force the detent forwardly to the set position.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

CHARLES W. N EISWEN DER. RAYMON B. FURGASON.

